Dalits take up temple issue with Thiruma

Trichy: Upset by the district administration's decision to ban the annual Aadi festival of Sri Bhadrakali Amman temple at Pazhankallimedu village in Nagapattinam district following a rift between dalits and caste Hindus over allowing the former to host the ‘Mandagapadi' ritual, both communities are looking for an alternative way to conduct the festival. While a team of caste Hindus is preparing to meet the collector with an appeal to lift the ban, a group of dalits met VCK leader Thirumavalavan in Chennai and urged him to find a way.
The Nagapattinam district administration has banned both groups from conducting the festival until further instructions from the Hindu religious and charitable endowments department. This decision was taken at a peace committee meeting held on July 30 headed by collector S Palanisamy and state minister for handlooms and textiles O S Manian as both communities stuck to their stand.
Earlier, the dalit families had threatened to embrace Islam alleging the caste Hindus were preventing them from hosting the ‘Mandagapadi'.
As the annual Aadi festival has never been stopped for several years, both communities are upset that the collector has not given a chance to have another round of talks, said A Siva Subramanian, son of the temple trustee belonging to an upper caste. He has been trying to mobilise support from both communities to conduct the event. "Once it fructifies, we plan to meet the collector to call for lifting the ban," he told TOI.
As the same mood has been shrouding among the Dalits, a team had met VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan at Chennai on Wednesday to discuss about the future course of action.
"We discussed various aspects on how to find an amicable solution to conduct the festival in a peaceful manner. Soon we will arrive at a consensus", said the party's Regional Secretary of Nagapattinam Velu Kubendran.